The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on construction safety in China and the U.S.: A comparative study

Many studies indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic had significant impacts on construction safety. However, the studies had differing views on whether the pandemic increased or decreased construction safety performance. Furthermore, past studies did not adopt a comparative time series approach to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on construction safety. Thus, this study explores the differences in the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on construction safety in China and the United States. This study used SciNet to forecast the number of construction accidents without the pandemic. Subsequently, the forecast was compared with the actual number of accidents since the outbreak, and the analysis showed a reduced number of construction accidents during the pandemic. However, there were minimal changes and even a slight worsening of fatality rates. Moreover, the correlation analyses showed that the effect of the pandemic on construction safety was weak and lagging. Construction safety was significantly affected by the pandemic in China, and the impact is relatively rapid. In comparison, outbreaks did not have a major impact on construction safety in the U.S. in the early stage. Since the pandemic is still raging worldwide, this research helps governments or project stakeholders formulate more targeted and data-driven safety countermeasures to improve construction safety during the crisis. The study also helps nations respond to future pandemics and crises to prevent adverse effects on construction safety.